Chapter 3: An Unexpected Passenger

"The coast is clear," the pilot said.

Noah unbuckled his seatbelt, a little unsettled from his call with Cassandra. He'd been all in with her, but she'd only been playing a game. Cassandra was in life for Cassandra alone. He should have seen that, but he knew now and he'd steel his heart against anyone wanting something from him.

That was the worst part of all of this. The betrayal. He'd never encountered women like her. Yes, he had fans who wanted a piece of him, but those interactions were superficial.

"Thanks, gentleman, for a great flight," Noah said.

He shook the pilot's hand then the co-pilot's. They seemed surprised, but he was raised with manners, and no time in Hollywood or anywhere else would remove them from him.

"You have a good day, sir. Thank you for flying with us," the pilot said.

"Where do you go next?" Noah asked as the pilot fiddled with the airstairs. They were stuck partway down, but the man didn't seem to be concerned.

"This was our last flight of the week. We're off for a few days."

Finally, the stairs came loose and the pilot opened the door and stepped aside. Noah flashed him another smile before stepping out of the airplane.

Someone was at the bottom of the steps, but she had a jumpsuit for the airport on, so he didn't even give her a second thought. He smiled her way, but that was just him being polite. Maybe there she was there to lead him to his car. He'd ordered a car to be waiting for him. Well, his agent did, but he trusted the man to not miss that detail.

Noah was a large man, so he wanted a large vehicle to drive around wherever he was. He'd loved to bring his custom truck here, but that had seemed like overkill. Even if he could afford it.

The woman was blocking the way down the stairs. "Is there a problem?"

She looked up at him and seemed to freeze. He blinked. She was a beautiful woman. Red curls bounced around her face as she seemed to be moving her mouth. Nothing came out, but he wasn't sure he could speak either. Her green eyes widened and she must have just realized who he was.

A fan? He wouldn't be surprised. They came in all shapes in sizes he'd found out. He smiled wider, his publicity smile as his agent called it.

"Hi."

She still hadn't uttered a word. Noah searched for a name tag so he could at least know who she was, but her uniform didn't sport any.

"Are you here to direct me to my car?"

She cleared her throat. "No."

"Oh, okay. Selfie?"

That was what most people wanted. They wanted tangible proof that they'd been in his presence. He didn't mind them and usually took them readily. His arms were usually longer than theirs, and this was the case right now. She was a little thing and he couldn't imagine her toting bags around or climbing under an airplane.

Something didn't sit right with him about her. He'd been assured that the hangar was clear of paparazzi. Had she snuck in to see him?

Noah didn't feel so safe anymore. If she'd done something nefarious to get here, she might not have had good intentions. He'd never had a stalker, but he didn't want to start now.

"Are you here to get my bags?"

He didn't fly private jets very often and he didn't know the protocol.

"Uh, no," she said.

Finally. She spoke. She had a husky voice. It sounded like whiskey over sandpaper and it suited her. Why that mattered, he had no idea. This interaction would be short and sweet, but her voice intrigued him. He wanted to hear what his name would sound like when she said it.

He stuck out his hand. "I'm Noah Magellan."

He'd decided long ago that it didn't matter how famous he became, he would always introduce himself and not assume someone knew who he was.

She stared at his hand for a moment before taking it. Her hands were soft and his dwarfed hers. He wondered if that red hair was soft, too. What was he thinking? Some random woman was on the steps to an airplane and he was already undressing her. Already thinking of running his fingers through her hair.

It was his turn to be speechless.

"Hi," she said finally. "I'm Hailey."

"Nice to meet you, Hailey."

"I need to ask you a few questions," she said.

He shrugged. Maybe this was what happened at this airport. He'd never encountered this, but he wasn't going to give this woman a hard time. Shew as just doing her job. "Sure."

"Yeah?"

Her face lit up and a smile appeared. She revealed straight white teeth and the smile lit up her eyes. They were the greenest he'd ever seen. Why was she so delighted that he was going to cooperate? Had other celebrities given her a hard time?

"Do we need to do this here?" he said.

The sun was warming him up and he'd like to get into the shade. The makeup artist for the movie would be upset if they had to cover up a sunburn.

She glanced over her shoulder and her smile dimmed. Noah looked in the direction she was and there appeared to be a scuffle. The paparazzi were supposed to be gone. This woman who was doing her job didn't need to be caught up in this.

"Let's find someplace more private."

When she turned back to him, she had a look on her face that told him he'd said something wrong. He reviewed his words. "Uh, to answer your questions."

"I'm not that type of girl," she said. "I don't need to sleep with anyone to get my job done."

Noah resisted the urge to take a step back. It was as if she'd slapped him. "I didn't mean anything. I just figured I could answer your questions in the hangar. Away from whatever that is."

He motioned to the crowd that was pushing its way toward them. Before he could move, the flashes began.